


A Different Kind of Lesson

by dietcokeenthusiast



Series: Her Teacher, Her Emperor [9]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Past Abuse, Post-Time Skip, Spoilers, Swimming, Vacation, well kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 19:53:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20197210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dietcokeenthusiast/pseuds/dietcokeenthusiast
Summary: Edelgard and Byleth attend to some affairs in Derdriu after its conquest, and use the opportunity to sneak off for some alone time. At the beach, Edelgard learns to face an old challenge with Byleth's help.





	A Different Kind of Lesson

It had been about two weeks since the battle of Derdriu. Thanks to the quick actions of the Black Eagle Strike Force in sealing the port, the battle was largely contained there, ensuring minimal damage to the city proper. True to her word, Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg spared all who surrendered. It had all helped make the transition of power after Claude’s exile relatively painless. Though it was perhaps a bit too soon for the people to develop a true affinity for their new ruler, many were pleasantly surprised she was far from the murderous tyrant they had feared. The surprise only grew when she and her close advisor, the former professor Byleth, paid Derdriu a personal visit to check on the restoration of their defences.

It was a particularly warm and sunny day, however, when the Emperor and her advisor weren’t to be found with the force stationed there. Coincidentally, leaving the base were two women in commoners’ clothes and hooded cloaks, idly conversing with one another.

“I’m starting to think Hubert might suspect something.”

Byleth raised an eyebrow slightly, and turned to look at Edelgard. “What makes you say that?”

“The other day he commented on the number of private strategy meetings that the two of us have been having lately.” Edelgard pulled the cloak a little bit tighter around herself. “‘Lady Edelgard, I cannot properly watch out for you unless I know every single one of your activities!’” She continued in her Hubert voice.

Byleth chuckled. “You know he just worries for you.”

“I know, and you know I bear him no ill will. I’ve no idea how we would have gotten this far without Hubert. At times, though, his attentions are a bit… suffocating.” She sighed, and glanced about the streets. The only other people who seemed to be out were two fish stall operators, and the occasional couple shopping together. All seemed far more interested in their transactions than what two strange women were doing. Satisfied with this, she took Byleth’s hand. “My apologies. We’ve agreed this day is for us. I shouldn’t trouble you with all these thoughts.”

“You can trouble me with whatever you want,” Byleth replied, squeezing her hand. 

Edelgard allowed herself to smile, and even tilted her head up just enough to feel the warmth of the sun on her face. She kept holding on to her hand as Byleth lead them further down the street, and then down a set of stairs to an immaculate beach. The white sand seemed to almost sparkle in the sun, and the water that lapped at the shores was a shade of blue that Edelgard had thought only appeared in paintings. A cool breeze blew off the water, kissing Edelgard’s cheeks. “It’s beautiful…”

“You are,” Byleth replied, a rather satisfied smirk on her face as she leaned in to give Edelgard a quick peck.

“Byleth!” Edelgard immediately held her hand up to her lips. “There could be people watching!”

Byleth shook her head. “I took a look while you were busy admiring the ocean. For now at least, we’re alone.”

“Oh.” Edelgard blinked, glancing around to see for herself. Just when she thought the day couldn’t be more perfect, she saw that Byleth was right; the beach was all their own. “My apologies then, my teacher. Allow me.” She then grabbed onto Byleth by the cloak and pulled her into a brief but passionate kiss, nibbling just slightly on her lower lip when she pulled away.

Byleth cleared her throat, trying to look composed and neutral as always, but Edelgard knew the rosy glow on her cheeks wasn’t from the sun. “You keep getting better at that.”   
  
Edelgard just giggled softly, and laid her head against Byleth’s shoulder. She was warm, relaxed, and deliriously happy. While a certain level of etiquette would always be expected of them, she daydreamed about the day when her and Byleth could be completely open about their relationship; a proud royal couple keeping the peace and working to improve the lives of all. 

“So, what shall we do now, El?”

Edelgard turned her head and looked up at Byleth. “What do you mean?”

“We are at the beach,” Byleth replied matter of factly. “There are all sorts of things we could do. If you don’t feel up to games, we can sunbathe, go for a swim…”

Edelgard could feel her body tense up at the mention of those activities, even wincing at the mention of swimming. She shook her head. “I would rather stay out of the water.”

Bylerh raised an eyebrow in the same curious way she often did. “Why is that? With the weather the way it is, the water won’t be that cold.”

“It has nothing to do with the water,” Edelgard replied firmly. “I would rather not.”

“It will feel nice, though!” Byleth insisted, squeezing her hand. “Unless…”   
  
Edelgard narrowed her eyes slightly. “Unless what?”

The corner of Byleth’s mouth went up ever so slightly in a smirk. “Unless you don’t know how to swim.”

Edelgard could feel her face getting redder. She pulled her hand away from Byleth, and crossed her arms. “That… that has nothing to do with it!”

Byleth tried and failed to suppress a chuckle. “I’m sorry. You are just such a strong and decisive leader, it’s kind of funny that you can’t swim.”

Edelgard frowned, now outright glaring. “You find this amusing?” 

Byleth seemed to realize she touched a nerve, the smile falling from her face. “No… I’m sorry, El.”

Edelgard sighed, her posture loosening up just slightly despite still being somewhat annoyed with Byleth. “It is fine. It is just… embarrassing. Swimming is something most are capable of, yet I never had the chance to learn.”

“No?” Byleth approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Why didn’t-”

All it took was one look from Edelgard to answer the question.

“....Oh.” She stepped forward to pull Edelgard into a hug. Though part of her wanted to stay angry, Byleth’s embrace was always difficult to say no to. She found herself leaning into her, and wrapping her arms around her. It seemed no matter what her mood was, Byleth always had a way of alleviating her stress and making her feel better.

“Afterwards, even if I had the time, most swimwear is… revealing. It’s not designed for people who wish to conceal certain things.” She frowned, and swore she could feel the long scar on her sternum burn as she spoke of it.

“I understand,” Byleth replied, saying all she really needed to say. “Though… do you think you’d ever want to learn?

Edelgard shook her head. “I do not know where I’d find the time, or someone to instruct me.”

“We have time now, and you happen to know a very good teacher.” Byleth smiled at her.

Edelgard felt her cheeks growing warmer. “As much as I appreciate your offer, there is still the issue of… exposing myself.”

“Hmm..” Byleth scanned around the beach for a moment, before pausing, and then suddenly taking Edelgard’s hand. “Follow me.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Where are we going?”

“I want to check something,” Byleth replied, saying nothing else and giving no other clues in her expression as she lead Edelgard to a rocky outcropping along the shore. As they approached and went around it, Edelgard would see a small little cove, seemingly cut off from the already deserted beach. It was private. Rather, as private as one could get for the outdoors.

Giving one more look around the area, Byleth smiled, and let go of Edelgard’s hand. She walked closer to the water, hurriedly stripping down to her smallclothes, leaving her commoner’s outfit on the warm sand.

“B-byleth!” Edelgard didn’t want to think of how hard she was blushing at the sight of her. Afrer all, it was exceptionally difficult to overlook those muscles built from years of combat.

“You can’t go swimming in your clothes,” Byleth said with a sly smile. She then reached down for her cloak and unfolded it, holding it out with her arms. “Behind here. I’ll keep it up while you undress and get into the water.

Edelgard hesitated to take a step forward. She wasn’t entirely certain she was actually going through with this. She had long thought that she would never go into any sort of water that wasn’t a bath. Yet here her teacher was, standing there with such a genuine smile, using her own disguise as a privacy screen to make her feel more comfortable about the whole affair. Taking one more very long look all round her, she finally stepped forward, hurrying behind the makeshift screen and stripping down to her smallclothes. She could feel her blush deepen as she stood just inches away from Byleth clad in almost nothing, and it only got worse when she noticed how Byleth was gazing at her. 

“Ready?” Byleth smiled.

Edelgard nodded. “Yes.” She took a deep breath, and tried to look as much of her fearless, determined self as she could. “I am ready!”

Byleth nodded, letting the cloak fall to the sand, and slowly leading Edelgard into the water. Even barely up to her knee, Edelgard could feel a sense of dread overtaking her. Certainly, the water was shallow enough now, but what would happen if she got deeper? Would the tides carry her out to sea? Would she become entangled in whatever lurked beneath the waves? After coming so far, would she fail to see the new, prosperous age she fought for after drowning at the beach?

“Relax,” Byleth said, seeming to notice her anxiety. “We’re only going up to your shoulders.”

Edelgard nodded, but remained skeptical and increasingly nervous until indeed, as Byleth said, they came to a full stop when the water was up to her shoulders. She took a few deep breaths, and closed her eyes, needing to remind herself that they weren’t going any further, that she could still breathe, and Byleth was right there in case the worst happened.

“So, we’re going to start with floating.” Byleth put her hands on either side of Edelgard’s waist. “I’m going to put you on your back now, all right?”

Edelgard nodded nervously. As prepared as she thought that she was, though, as Byleth began tilting her back, she found herself reflexively flailing, managing to splash water all over Byleth’s face. “Ah! I am sorry, my teacher!”

Byleth pushed her wet hair out of her eyes, and chuckled. “It’s okay. We’re going to try again. I’ve got you though, okay?”

“Okay,” Edelgard replied, closing her eyes, and doing her best to relax as Byleth once again tilted her onto her back. The entire time, Byleth’s hands never left her, only moving to support her from below once she was entirely on her back.

“How’s this? Does the water feel okay?”

“N-not as bad as I thought,” Edelgard replied, cursing herself for the slight stammer that crept into her words.

“That’s a start. For now, just get used to how the water feels.”

Edelgard nodded slightly, and kept her eyes closed. As time passed, the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach seemed to lessen. The water actually was rather pleasant, when she thought about it. It was the perfect temperature for a warm, sunny day like today. Though she worried somewhat for her complexion, she couldn’t deny that the sunshine felt good against her face. Then there was the sensation of Byleth’s hands on her back.

“Doing great, El!” Byleth encouraged. “Okay, for now, I need you to put your arms out, and be perfectly still.”

Edelgard complied, arms stretched out at her side. “I’ve done it. What now?”

“Like I said, perfectly still. I’m going to remove my hands now.”

Edelgard’s eyes snapped open, and she turned her head to look at her. “What?! Byleth, are you certain that’s not too soon?”

“Trust me,” was all Byleth said in response. “But you need to be perfectly still.”

Edelgard wanted to protest further, but as she felt Byleth’s hands leave her back, all she could think of was her instructions. Not wanting to risk  _ anything _ so long as she was in the water, she remained perfectly still, even though she was terrified as to what might happen. Much to her surprise, however, she did not sink and was not pulled under. Rather, she floated rather comfortably along the surface of the water.  _ Is this supposed to happen? Is this how one starts swimming? _ As she continued to float with those thoughts, however, the fear subsided more and more. Eventually, she was even smiling. “I’m actually doing it!”

“You are!” Byleth responded encouragingly. She would let her float for a while longer before moving to once again support her weight, giving her a quick kiss on her lips, much to Edelgard’s delight. “You’re doing great.”

“Praise isn’t necessary,” she replied, with a bit of a giggle.

Byleth was positively beaming at her now. “All right. Now, I want you to keep your legs as straight as possible, and kick them. You want to do it steadily, and fairly quickly. Nice and simple.”

Edelgard, feeling much more confident, complied, water splashing around her as she kicked her legs. She could feel herself start to move, Byleth’s hands still keeping her supported. As she continued, the hands would eventually be removed, but Byleth would stay by her side, following along and speaking encouragement. Just as she always had. Byleth had made what seemed impossible possible for her. As limited as it was, Edelgard was moving about in water. She was swimming.

Eventually, Byleth’s hands would take hold of her once again, and she would help Edelgard stand up in the water. A big smile on her face, Edelgard pulled her in to kiss her, enjoying the sensation of her warm lips and the cool water.

“Enjoying the lesson?” Byleth asked.

“Very much so, my teacher,” Edelgard replied, kissing her yet again. If the rest of their day was going to be like this, perhaps learning to swim wouldn’t be so bad.

\---

It was a few days after the trip when Edelgard took to her chambers, somewhat more reluctantly than usual. Discretion necessitated that they spend some nights apart, and tonight was one of those nights. When she threw open the door, however, she noticed something on the bed; folded red fabric, and a letter. Curious, Edelgard made her way to the bed, inspecting just what it was. As she unfolded the fabric, she would see it was a one-piece outfit of sorts, going down to the top of her thighs on the bottom and with complete coverage of her torso. There were a number of clasps on the back, presumably for getting in and out. Her attention then turned to the letter. Taking it in her hands, she immediately began to read.

_ El, _

_ Sorry I couldn’t give this to you personally. You seemed to enjoy your lesson in Derdriu, so I commissioned a tailor for some swimwear that would be easier for you to wear. Just let me know if you want to keep going. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night. _

_ Love, _

_ Byleth _

Edelgard smiled warmly as she looked at the swimwear, and then the letter again, eyes lingering on the word “love”. For once, the idea of the water didn’t frighten her.


End file.
